Nucleotides
/ˈnjuː.kli.ə.taɪdz/noun
Organic molecules that are the basic building blocks of nucleic acids like DNA and RNA.
Did you know?The core root is Latin *nucleus*, literally a “little nut” or kernel, which scientists borrowed to name the cell’s central body before the chemistry term *nucleotide* was coined from that idea.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
nucleus
“A small nut, kernel, or inner core”
Late Latin
Latin
nucleolus
“A little nucleus; a small central body”
19th Century
English
nucleus
“The central part of an atom or cell; a core”
1890s
English
nucleotide
“A chemical compound related to nucleic acids, named from its association with the cell nucleus”
Modern English
English
nucleotides
“The plural of nucleotide; the molecular units that make up DNA and RNA”